Common Enemies: Crime, Policy, and Politics in Australia-Indonesia Relations

An examination of international cooperation in tackling cross-border crimes such as terrorism, through a socio-legal lens. This qualitative study focuses on Australia and Indonesia, asking questions about the conditions that promote cooperation, and the structural tension between political and policy interests.

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Over the last two decades, Australia and Indonesia have built a remarkable partnership in the fight against terrorism and other transnational crimes. Common Enemies: Crime, Policy, and Politics in Australia-Indonesia Relations is the first in-depth study of this partnership, examining both its successes and its failures. Drawing on over 100 interviews and extensive archival material, the book tells the inside story of the joint police investigation into the 2002 terrorist bombings in Bali, the extradition of Indonesian corruption fugitive Adrian Kiki Ariawan, the public campaigns in support of Australians detained in Indonesia for drug trafficking, and the 2013 spying scandal that led to a freeze in cooperation. It also investigates many cases that never made the headlines in an effort to understand the conditions that promote criminal justice cooperation between these two very different countries. The book reveals a tension between parochial politics and policy ambition at the heart of the bilateral relationship, and explores how politicians, bureaucrats, and private actors animate this tension. It also considers how various 'wars on crime' since the 1970s have shaped the relationship, and the importance of reciprocity in maintaining the relationship. Based on this analysis, it identifies strategies for enhancing cross-border cooperation to combat crime. The mix of engaging case studies and novel theorising in Common Enemies will appeal to both practitioners and scholars of transnational policing, international relations, regulation, and global governance.